Most of the British Invasion bands were inducted years ago, so the election of The Zombies corrected what some had thought to be a longstanding omission. While the band said they had hoped Tom Petty, a big fan and supporter of theirs, would have inducted them, the honor went to another friend and enthusiast, Susanna Hoffs of The Bangles, who gave touching, heartfelt testimony to the value and quality of their music.

Keyboardist Rod Argent did the bulk of the talking, explaining that the induction ceremony happened to fall on a very important anniversary for the group.

Rod Argent of The Zombies on their induction taking place on a very important anniversary in their history:

"A wonderful coincidence to all of us standing here in Brooklyn, the site of our very first concert in America, when we did the Murray the K show, Christmas Day in 1964 But it’s actually 50 years to this very day, the 29th of March, 1969, that ‘Time of the Season’ reached the number-one position in America [in Cashbox].”